Primark Satchel Update

A few months ago you may have seen my review of the Primark Satchel (link here) and seeing as I've been using it as my go-to bag for the past few months that I should do a review of it!

So, I purchased this back in November for £9 which is a huge difference in price to the Cambridge Satchels at roughly £120 a bag. I do quite like this bag, it's comfortable to wear and carries a fair amount of stuff, the colour goes with a lot of my clothing and it hasn't completely died. Emphasis on the word "completely there." 

Most of the bag is in good nick, however the straps aren't in the best condition. The left strap completely snapped off (at a really inconvenient time, the train doors got jammed at my stop, my bag strap snapped and I had to run down the length of the train trying to find a door that worked - wasn't ideal) however with a bit of superglue, I've managed to fix it. Bear in mind that I do carry a lot of weight in this bag, I used it everyday in December for work carrying big thick hardback books and then have used it the rest of the time to carry my books and clothes in if I'm going somewhere. The right strap is completely fine and doesn't show any sign of fraying.

As you can see, the inside lining of the bag (excuse the mess and mass of train tickets) is pretty much fine. One or two scuff marks and the odd thread hanging out but it's pretty much perfect condition on the inside. As well as the inside of the bag, the actual handle on top of the bag is also in perfect condition. I rarely actually use the handle, so it would be a bit worrying if it was fraying.

Finally, the buckle that adjusts the length of the strap is starting to show signs of wear and the little metal prong bit has slightly torn the material, however I think it still has a fair amount of usage left in it before it's utterly broken.

In conclusion, I do still recommend purchasing this bag! It's cheap, the quality isn't horrendous and I've had a lot of use out of it! Yes, admittedly it is a bit battered but if you don't mind getting creative with some superglue then this bag is fully worth the £9!

Have you tried the Primark satchel? What did you think? Leave a comment below!

Thanks for reading! Beth xxx

instagram: @bethssecret

twitter: @bethssecret

e-mail: beths-secret@live.co.uk

17 Metallic Eyes Review

Another quick little review for you guys on the 17 Wild Metallic Cream Eyeshadow in Green from Boots. I found this in my local Boots shop, however I can't seem to find it online so I don't know if it has been discontinued. I bought mine in this Golden/Green sort of colour and because I bought this at the same time I bought the SEVENTEEN Phwoarr Paint and I had spent a certain amount of money on SEVENTEEN products, it meant that I got a free eyebrow kit so it's not all doom and gloom!

Pros:

- Reasonably priced at roughly the same price as the Maybelline Colour Tattoo.

- Pretty decent sized pot.

- Lovely colour, love the green/gold thing.

- Packaging is alright, however I'm not a big fan of the whole cheetah print thing.

- Easily available in lots of Boots stores.

- Application is easy, dip your finger in and swipe it over your lids, or use a brush.

Cons:

- Way too creamy. Almost a mousse like texture.

- Does not last and creases almost instantly.

- Not very pigmented on application.

- Due to the lack of staying power, it's pretty much unusable.

- If it's the same price as the Famous Colour Tattoo, why not just buy that as it's a thousand times better.

Now, I don't know whether or not it's just my particular product which is this mousse like texture and it's a fault or what, but I genuinely can't use it as it just doesn't last. It's too thin and doesn't set after any amount of time so just sits there on your lids until it rubs or melts off which is ridiculous. Thoroughly disappointed in this product and would not encourage you to go out and purchase it! Such a shame as it could be such a beautiful eyeshadow :(

Without Flash

With Flash

So sad about this product, have you tried it? Did you like it? Let me know in the comments!

Beth xxx

instagram: @bethssecret

twitter: @bethssecret

e-mail: beths-secret@live.co.uk

#2014BloggerChallenge High Street VS. High End

I'm very much a high street girl, even if I do have money for once, I shop on the high street out of habit. I think that the high street is seriously underrated and you can get some great steals, but that doesn't stop me from lusting after some high end bits and bobs. 

I've created my selection of perfect high street items - clothing and makeup, and then my high end wishlist! 

1. Revlon Nearly Naked £8.99
2. Seek Makeup I-Divine Eyeshadow Palette in Storm £7.99
3. Primark Rose Printed Shorts £10
4. Umberto Giannini Frizzi Rebel Without a Course Styling Spray £6
5. Sleek Lipstick True Colour in Vixen £4.99
6. New Look Gold Geo Cut Out Necklace £5.99
7. Delilah Dust Silver Sideways Deer Antler £4

1. MAC 217 Blending Brush £18
2. Cambridge Satchel The Batchel £140
3. NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Club Mix £17.50
4. Yves Saint Laurent Forever Foundation £36
5. MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo £15
6. Michael Kors Round Watch in Golden £150

I'm so in love with the Cambridge satchel and since the strap started to break on my Primark one, I've been lusting after it more and more but I just can't bring myself to spend that much on a bag (even if it's relatively cheap for a high end bag!) I'm also completely in love with the Delilah Dust necklace and I think that I'm going to go ahead and buy that soon as it's an absolute steal at only £4. As well as that, the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation shown is something that I use everyday, it's not too sheer but it leaves the skin looking fantastic, I thoroughly recommend it! I think with the Michael Kors watch I'm going to get a high street dupe, admittedly it won't be nearly as good quality as the Michael Kors but it'll be a hell of a lot cheaper!
So, those are my high street favourite and my high end lusts! I hope that enjoyed this post, leave a comment below telling me what your high street favourite or high end lust is!
Beth xxx
twitter: @bethssecret
instagram: @bethssecret
e-mail: beths-secret@live.co.uk

Date Night Essentials

As it's Valentine's Day tomorrow, I thought I should do something along the theme of the day. I'm not really one to celebrate the day and I'm currently ill and single so I plan to spend the day in my onesie watching Game of Thrones.

However, I thought that I would do a post on what I take out with me if I go out on a date. I don't tend to take too much as I don't want to be lugging around everything but the kitchen sink, but I do like to be reasonably prepared. 

I like to take a reasonably small bag that still fits everything but also has a long strap so that I don't find that it gets in my way if I'm walking. I tend to like bags that I'm able to forget if they're there or not and doesn't take up any of my hands, otherwise I get irritated. 

Anyway, the first thing I like to take is a long lasting lip colour such as the Rimmel Apocolips. It stays on the lips and isn't too glossy so it doesn't just slide off, I like to bring this with me for a quick lip top up. I prefer bolder colours to more nude colours and I always think that it looks nice. 

The next thing I bring along is a lip balm, I like this Nivea one as I find that it actually does the job and softens my lips a lot. As well as that it smells quite nice and almost vanilla like and is quite cheap so it doesn't matter if I lose it.

As well as this, I also bring along a packet of mints. I get hungry nervous so mints are perfect and this little tin is exactly the right size. 

I also like to bring a mini pack of tissues where ever I go because I always find that when I really need a tissue, there's never any around. I'm also a food spiller so they're useful for cleaning up my messy eating.

Finally, I bring my purse because strong independant woman and all.

So that's what I take out with me if I'm going on a date! What do you take with you? Leave a comment below!

Beth xxx

twitter: @bethssecret

instagram: @bethssecret

e-mail: beths-secret@live.co.uk

Liebster Award no.3

Okay, so I've done this award a few times before however Uggynog nominated me and I think that it's always nice to honour that and you can learn some other things about me! 

If you haven't already, go and check out her blog! It's genuinely one of my favourite blogs and she's such a lovely person :)

To qualify for the Liebster Award you need to have under 200 followers and someone needs to nominate you. They then give you 11 questions to answer, so you answer those, nominate 11 people and then give them 11 questions to answer! It sounds complicated but it's not too bad!

So my 11 questions from Uggynog were:

1. Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging because I'd been reading them for a while and I don't have the balls to start a YouTube channel!

2. Define your style in one sentence!
Eclectic try-hard.

3. Where would you love to travel one day?

I really would love to go to New York and Japan, they seem like incredible cities with a lot going on.

4. Favorite place to shop?
I really like H&M for clothing as their clothing is always decent quality, quite pretty and not ridiculously expensive.

5. Who's your style icon?
I really love Alexa Chung's style but I also really love Becca Rose's style from http://www.youtube.com/user/voussontbeauetbelle as she always looks lovely!

6. One movie and one TV show you can't live without?
One of my favourite shows is How I Met Your Mother, but I've recently gotten into Game of Thrones and I love it. In terms of films, I'd have to say Easy A or An Education. If you haven't seen them I thoroughly recommend them!

7. Least favorite fashion trend?
Neon or sports luxe. Or neon sports luxe.

8. One beauty product staple in your life?
Concealer, I'm very tired looking!

9. Favorite book/magazine/website?
My favourite book... difficult question. Maybe Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote - I really enjoyed that. My favourite magazine is Company as it features a lot of affordable items. And my favourite website is YouTube!

10. Who inspires you? {in any way, shape or form}
I look up to a lot of bloggers, such as Zoe Ldn, ViviannaDoesMakeup and Essie Button as they seem like genuine people who have remained grounded and are good to their fans! 

11. What do you want to achieve with your blog and yourself this year?
I'm hoping to grow my audience a bit! As well as improve the quality of the blogposts and my photography. I'm also considering starting YouTube but I'm really not sure! As well as that, I'm going to be starting university this September so I'm hoping to settle in well and cope with the workload!

Okay, so that's my Liebster award blogpost!

I'm not going to nominate anyone as I'm going to nominate whoever reads this blogpost with the questions that I was asked!

Cheating? Yes, but my excuse is that I have glandular fever and I'm reaaaaaalllyy tired right now! Sorry!

And go and check out http://uggynog.blogspot.co.uk/ !!

Beth xxx

instagram: @bethssecret

twitter: @bethssecret

tumblr: http://www.littl-musician.tumblr.com

e-mail: beths-secret@live.co.uk

Collectif

I recently received an e-mail asking if Collectif were any interest to me and if I would like to write a blogpost on them. I had a look at their site and I absolutely love their clothing! It's not unrealistically expensive and the clothes look great.

In the next few weeks, Collectif are set to release their SS14 collection at London EDGE and London Pure which are two fashion trade shows. They are a vintage clothing company whose main inspiration comes from the 1940s and 1950s and the pieces that they are showing are set to hit shops and their online site this month. As well as showing what is in their main collection, they are also going to be showing clothes which are vintage, but with a modern edge which I am especially interested in seeing. London EDGE took place on the 2nd-4th of February but London Pure is scheduled for this weekend (9th-11th February) so if you're in London pop along to check out the show! What I love is that they have a wide range of sizes, from size 6 to size 22 so it's refreshing to see that!

I've picked out some of my favourite pieces from the website to show you guys, so enjoy!

1. Helga Skirt Swallow Embroidery £35

2. Pearl Stud Earrings £4.50

3. Claudette Velvet Dress £40 (on sale)

4. Patricia Cherry Floral Chiffon Blouse £35

5. Violet Skull Print Dress £59.50

So those are my picks from the Collectif website (isn't the green velvet dress beautiful?). I just thought that I would share this site with you guys as I thought it was interesting and I absolutely love the vintage style! Hope you enjoyed this post :) 

Beth xxx

instagram: @bethssecret

twitter: @bethssecret

tumblr: http://www.littl-musician.tumblr.com

e-mail: beths-secret@live.co.uk

*Even though I was asked if I wanted to write this blog post, all opinions are my own and I was not paid.

Once Upon A Time... #2014BloggerChallenge Week 3

So, it's that time of the month again (no, not that time) and it's another #2014BloggerChallenge post! This week's theme is about books! I loved books as a child, up until the age of about 16 and then for some reason I lost my love for them. I was miserable and I just never read anymore, so when I worked in a bookshop over Christmas and I was surrounded by books I found hundreds that I wanted to read. So, I finally picked up some books (a lot of books...) and started reading again recreationally. I've missed it so much and I've found some amazing books recently, such as one of my recent favourites which is "The Universe Versus Alex Woods" by Gavin Extence.

“If you had to relive your life exactly as it was – same successes and failures, same happiness, same miseries, same mixture of comedy and tragedy – would you want to? Was it worth it?” 

This is the most well-known quotation from the book and one of the most thought-provoking. I found that this book made me think a lot and question my values.

Admittedly, it's quite a slow moving book. The prologue starts with, the protagonist, Alex,  in a 

car at the crossing at Dover where he is arrested. I liked this as it left me wondering how the rest of the novel would develop in such a way that he would end up in this situation. The author then has Alex recount his life to the reader, starting with the strange incident with the meteor, to his slightly odd mother then to the first time he met Mr. Peterson due to a misunderstanding about the vandalism of his greenhouse. 

"...not all scars are bad, Alex. Some are worth hanging on to ...” 

There are several lines in this book that are very quotable, and I loved it. I loved the writing style of Extence, it was very easy to read however it still was incredibly interesting. It made me laugh at the right moments, and cry at the right moments. I think that if you're looking for a Young Adult book, this is definitely something that you should check out. 

It's currently £3.85 over at http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Universe-Versus-Alex-Woods/dp/1444765892/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391530488&sr=8-1&keywords=the+universe+versus+alex+woods

Also, follow/friend me on GoodReads! https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/18386272-beth-farrell

Beth xxx

instagram: @bethssecret

twitter: @bethssecret

tumblr:http://www.littl-musician.tumblr.com